Oando set to raise N80 billion via rights issue

17 Nov 2015
Chibuike Oguh

Summary

Oando also announced that it would seek shareholder approval to divest from its businesses in gas, power, energy services, and the downstream sector.

Wale Tinubu, Group CEO, Oando Plc

Oando has announced that it would seek shareholder approval to raise up to N80 billion through a rights issue during its annual general meeting on December 7th.

Declining oil prices and a weak naira have hit most oil and gas companies, including Oando. Last month, the company posted record losses of N184 billion in its 2014 full-year report and N48 billion in the first nine months of this year.

Aside from the rights issue, Oando also announced that it would seek shareholder approval to divest from its businesses in gas, power, energy services, and the downstream sector.

In June, Oando announced that it had reached a deal to sell 60 percent stake in its downstream business to a joint venture owned by Vitol Group and Helios Investment Partners for $276 million.

Oando, which is listed on the Nigerian, Toronto and Johannesburg bourses, said it would seek shareholder approval to issue N40 billion worth of shares out of its unissued share capital to swap debt for equity. According to Reuters, Oando has a debt-equity swap deal with two shareholders: Ocean and Oil Development Partners and QPR Limited.

Oando has been operating under massive debt since completing in 2014 the acquisition of the Nigerian operations of ConocoPhillips, the American oil giant, for $1.65 billion. In the nine months ending on September 30, 2015, the company reported that it has a net debt of $1.77 billion, down from $2.41 billion in 2014.

Last week, Oando announced that it had repaid a $100 million loan obtained from the African Export-Import Bank to fund its Conoco acquisition.
Oando’s shares have fallen by more than 52 percent so far this year after falling 34 percent in 2014.

Chibuike Oguh is Financial Nigeria's Frontier Markets Analyst







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